The Vincent Black Lightning was a Vincent-HRD motorcycle first built in September 1948 at the Vincent works in Great North Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK, and produced from 1948 to 1952.
the Vincent Black Lightning was a Vincent hrd Motorcycle first built in September 1948 at the Vincent works in great North Road stevenage harf forer UK and produced from 1948 to 1952 the bike was a purpose-built factory modified Black Shadow That Was Then named and produced as the Black Lightning at the time the Black Lightning was the fastest production motorcycle in the world Vincent hrd began motorcycle production in 1928 and were well established after World War 2 when they launched the 1,000 cubic cm 61 cubic in Black Lightning this was a production version of the Black Lightning which held the motorcycle land speed record with a similar engine specification available to order a standard Black Lightning was supplied in racing trim with magnesium alloy components special racing tires on alloy rims rear set foot controls a solo seat and aluminium mudguards this reduced the Lightning’s weight to 3133 lb 170 kg the 998 cubic cm 60.9 cubic in aircooled oh push rod v twin specifications were always based on standard Parts but upgraded with higher Performance Racing Equipment the Black Lightning had higher strength connecting rods larger Inlet ports polished rocker gear steel idler gears racing carburetors and a manual Advanced Magneto and was available with compression ratios between 6.8 to1 and 12.5 to1 this resulted in 70 brake horse power 52 KW and a top speed of 150 mph 240 kmph only 31 black Lightnings were ever built before production ended in 1952 because of Vincent’s financial problems on the 13th of September 1948 Roy free achieved the US National Motorcycle speed record at Bonville salt flats in Utah riding the first Vincent Black Lightning during test runs free reached average speeds of 148.5 mph 200 39.1 kmph to reduce drag freeze stripped to his swimming shorts for the final run which he made lying flat with his legs stretched out and his head low guiding the Vincent By following a black stripe painted on the salt bed the stunt worked as free covered the mile in 23.9 seconds passing the 150 mph 240 kmph barrier and on the return run he reached a record average speed of 150. 313 mph 241 .905 kmph this led to one of the most famous photographs in motorcycle history known as the bathing suit bike the American motorcyclist Association certified freeze record Innovative features of the bike included the first ever Vincent rear shock absorber the first MK2 racing cams and horizontally mounted racing carburetors in 1950 royf free returned to the Bonville Salt Flats and broke his own record averaging speeds of hour 21.99 kmph on the Vincent despite a high-speed crash during those speed trials in February 2018 during an auction held by Bonhams at Las Vegas a black lightning stated to be one of only 19 surviving set a world record for the highest price paid at auction for a motorcycle of $929,000 $1.16 million Australian the machine was used to set a national speed record in Australia during 1953 and was purchased by an undisclosed Australian